Early Riser Interviewwith Ken Wert from MeantToBeHappy.com

Today I want to share another great early riser interview with all of you! I have been talking to the truly happy Ken Wert, author of MeantToBeHappy.com.

"Not only am I more productive because of the freshness of the early morning, but there aren't the normal day-time distractions that so easily pull us away from our goals and plans."

Ken, can you start by telling me about your normal morning routine?

Sure, Matthew. I don’t use an alarm clock. So some of my routine depends on what time I get to bed the night before. I let myself sleep until I wake up, which is usually around 5-5:30 am. If I get to bed earlier, I sometimes wake up before 5, say 4:30-4:45, or so. If later, I wake up later. But usually, I get to bed between 10:00 pm and 12:30 am. I usually get 6 or so hours of sleep a night.

I usually get up and check my blog. I might Tweet, Share or Google + an article or two.

If I’m up early enough, I’ll hit the gym before work, usually editing articles for my blog while I ride a stationary bike. If not, I’ll go straight into work.

I usually get there an hour or two early so I can set up for the day and still have some time for working on my blog, doing some reading, planning out my day, identifying the activities I most want to accomplish and saying my morning prayers (being a religious guy).

So how come you are an early riser?

It started in high school. I wanted to be a famous rock star, so would get up at 4 am to practice guitar before school. Sometimes I would go jogging early too. I've been getting up early ever since.

Tell me, what do you see as the main benefits of being an early riser?

I just get so much more done with an extra hour or two every single day. It adds up. I can’t imagine sleeping in. The thought of cutting out those precious early mornings before anyone else is awake is unthinkable.

Not only am I more productive because of the freshness of the early morning, but there aren't the normal day-time distractions that so easily pull us away from our goals and plans. Those extra hours have become a precious and valuable commodity to me.

In the interest of balance, do you see any negative sides from rising early?

Sometimes it’s so difficult to get to bed at a reasonable hour and I’m simply tired. But usually, I’m not. I’m rather energized, especially if I’ve been able to get to the gym that morning. Still, no matter what time I get to sleep, I still wake up early. I’m on automatic pilot now, so I do need to watch those late nights.

How did you develop this habit of waking up early?

At first, it was sheer willpower, mixed with a tremendous passion for doing what I loved to do (used to be playing guitar, now it’s writing and making a difference in the lives of my readers). So now it’s simply habit. I don’t think about it. It just happens quite naturally, no real willpower to speak of anymore.

How do you manage to keep your energy level high throughout the entire day?

I sleep soundly, so my sleep is good. I don’t recall ever waking up and thinking, “I had a terrible night’s sleep.” I work out regularly, focusing most of my time on cardiovascular work. I eat healthy. Lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. Whole grains. Lean white meat, especially turkey.

Most days I drink a homemade smoothie of yogurt, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, papaya, mango, oranges, pineapple, spinach, and fruit juice, usually grape. Sometimes I add a little carrot or whatever other fruit we might have around the house.

I go for nutrients over taste, though almost always, I think my concoctions are pretty delicious.

I also eat several small meals throughout the day (rather than 3 big ones). This helps keep energy levels up as well.

Finally, would you like to add anything else to this subject?

Anxious, depressed and even mildly sad people have a harder time falling asleep and sleeping soundly. One of the reasons is the difficulty unhappy people have turning off the internal talk. Their minds are on overdrive and have a hard time quieting it down long enough to drift softly to sleep.

So I believe one of the most important ways to get a peaceful night’s sleep is to work on our happiness.

My sleep is deep, quick and uninterrupted. When I wake during the night to use the restroom, get a drink of water, or whatever, I fall quickly and effortlessly back to sleep. I believe this is largely due to my general state of happiness. I’m at peace with myself. That helps.

In that way, I think what I do over at Meant to be Happy compliments what you do here quite well.

About Ken Wert

Ken Wert is a personal development blogger at Meant to be Happy where he inspires readers to live with purpose, act with character, think with clarity and grow with courage. Sign up for his free eBook, A Walk Through Happiness!

This is how Ken himself describes the purpose of his website:

"My purpose here is to inspire you to live a richer life of greater purpose and meaning, of mind-blowing possibility and deeper, more soul-satisfying happiness than you ever dreamt was possible."

I just want to say thank you Ken for sharing your thoughts in this early riser interview! You have provided us with some great insights to the connection between happiness and rising early.

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